Spent today at the range with Painless zeroing her sights. After about 40 rounds I was more or less aligned, and my shooting hand was more or less still attached. So I shot a three shot group at 50 yards with open sights and got this. Time to call it a day.

I'll tighten everything up as I learn the gun. But this will do for deer out to fifty yards.

Demo Dick

"My first priority will be to reinstate the assault weapons ban PERMANENTLY as soon as I take office...I intend to work with Congress on a national no carry law, 1 gun a month purchase limits, and bans on all semi-automatic guns."-Barack Obama"When in doubt, whip it out."-Nuge

That's what it was designed for. Elmer Keith envisioned a large frame, .44 caliber handgun that was suitable for all North American big game. Remington's answer was the .44 Remington Magnum. Good for whitetail deer up to larger game like moose and bear. Once they stuck it in the Dirty Harry movies few people realized what it was actually designed to do.

Demo Dick

"My first priority will be to reinstate the assault weapons ban PERMANENTLY as soon as I take office...I intend to work with Congress on a national no carry law, 1 gun a month purchase limits, and bans on all semi-automatic guns."-Barack Obama"When in doubt, whip it out."-Nuge

call2arms wrote:On the upside, if he shoots that well the deer won't suffer very long.

That is precisely the point. And if you compare how the animal would otherwise eventually die via non-human means (starvation, disease, getting hit by a car, predation by coyotes when it is old and weak) a hunter's well placed arrow or bullet is actually a less traumatic death. Plus the taxes I pay on hunting equipment and licenses themselves provide much needed money for habitat and research.

Not to mention the healthiest and best tasting meat available.

Demo Dick

"My first priority will be to reinstate the assault weapons ban PERMANENTLY as soon as I take office...I intend to work with Congress on a national no carry law, 1 gun a month purchase limits, and bans on all semi-automatic guns."-Barack Obama"When in doubt, whip it out."-Nuge

Marinepits wrote:In general, I can't imagine hunting deer with a handgun. I would think a bow, rifle, shotgun, or even a muzzleloader would be easier and more accurate for most folk.

Rifle/shotgun yes, bow not so much. Most shooters are capable of accurately placing an arrow out to 25 yards or so, and not much past that. At that same distance a handgun is more accurate, and a practiced shooter can become lethal with a pistol out to 100 yards (much more so with a scoped handgun and the right loads).

I opted to ditch my shotgun and rifles for a handgun this year because it's easier to carry and more practical at the ranges I tend to see deer. The last time I had an opportunity to shoot a deer with a firearm I was so close I couldn't find it in the scope and couldn't take a responsible shot. I decided a handgun would be my next hunting purchase. I also picked up a monopod yesterday to use as a carry-along rest.

Demo Dick

"My first priority will be to reinstate the assault weapons ban PERMANENTLY as soon as I take office...I intend to work with Congress on a national no carry law, 1 gun a month purchase limits, and bans on all semi-automatic guns."-Barack Obama"When in doubt, whip it out."-Nuge

"My first priority will be to reinstate the assault weapons ban PERMANENTLY as soon as I take office...I intend to work with Congress on a national no carry law, 1 gun a month purchase limits, and bans on all semi-automatic guns."-Barack Obama"When in doubt, whip it out."-Nuge

Agreed, Demo, and also my (very limited) vision of hunting encompasses some mediocre hunters, mistakenly shooting deer in inappropriate areas that just allow the deer to run away and bleed to death somewhere. If you're going to hunt, better kill it in one shot. That's my non-hunterperson opinion.

I'm going to show this thread to my son and ask about that gun of yours, Demo. I don't know if they are legal in Illinois for hunting deer. Shane is very serious with this hunting business. In the last four years of hunting in Illinois, he has gotten multiple good kills each year and every time but one. He really agonized about that one because he knew the deer wasn't going to die quickly. It truly wore on him. He almost quit bow hunting, but I think it steeled his determination instead. Shane has excellent aim and has been bow since he was a pre-teen. He also shotgun hunts and does very well at that too. He knows weaponry from his Army training as well.

DemoDick wrote:I opted to ditch my shotgun and rifles for a handgun this year because it's easier to carry and more practical at the ranges I tend to see deer. The last time I had an opportunity to shoot a deer with a firearm I was so close I couldn't find it in the scope and couldn't take a responsible shot. I decided a handgun would be my next hunting purchase. I also picked up a monopod yesterday to use as a carry-along rest.

That makes sense.

Did a little research and found out that in CT, you cannot hunt deer with handguns.

HappyChick wrote:I'm going to show this thread to my son and ask about that gun of yours, Demo. I don't know if they are legal in Illinois for hunting deer. Shane is very serious with this hunting business. In the last four years of hunting in Illinois, he has gotten multiple good kills each year and every time but one. He really agonized about that one because he knew the deer wasn't going to die quickly. It truly wore on him. He almost quit bow hunting, but I think it steeled his determination instead. Shane has excellent aim and has been bow since he was a pre-teen. He also shotgun hunts and does very well at that too. He knows weaponry from his Army training as well.

I like guns too. How much recoil does Ms. Painless have?

The biggest problem he will run into are the asinine gun laws in Illinois. Carrying a pistol concealed is basically impossible for a civilian and I'd imagine that handgun hunting requires some serious hoop-jumping. Such is life in the Brave New World.

Painless is a Smith & Wesson Model 629 Classic. 6.5 inch barrel with a set of custom grips from Jim Badger. Recoil with the Classic is not as bad as the regular Model 629/29 due to the full length underlug, but after about 25 full-house hunting loads I noticed I was flinching a bit and my shot strings were wandering. This was due to pain in my shooting hand. I won't be shooting that many rounds any time soon, as now the sights are zeroed and I prefer to take one shot per session with any hunting firearms or my bow. The grips make a major difference as well.

I like the .44 because I can take it home to MT for elk and moose, or hunt bear or zombies, etc. here in NY. if I so choose. If I were only going to hunt deer I see nothing wrong with a .357 Magnum. Ammo is cheaper too.

Demo Dick

"My first priority will be to reinstate the assault weapons ban PERMANENTLY as soon as I take office...I intend to work with Congress on a national no carry law, 1 gun a month purchase limits, and bans on all semi-automatic guns."-Barack Obama"When in doubt, whip it out."-Nuge